What you need to know to vote in California’s Nov. 4 special election on redistricting via Cal Matters

All eyes are on California this fall as voters decide whether to approve Proposition 50, a partisan gerrymandering plan with significant stakes far beyond California’s borders — for control of the federal government, for President Donald Trump’s agenda and for Gov. Gavin Newsom’s national ambitions.

Proposition 50 is the only measure on the statewide Nov. 4 special election ballot. If voters approve it, California would temporarily set aside its nonpartisan citizen redistricting commission and adopt new congressional lines that favor Democrats for the next three election cycles.

Here’s what your vote would mean:

Voting “YES” means: You want California to redraw its congressional districts to give Democrats a potential advantage in the U.S. House of Representatives. This would counter redistricting efforts in other states seeking to give Republicans an advantage.

Voting “NO” means: You want California’s congressional district lines to remain the same, as they were drawn by the state’s nonpartisan citizen redistricting commission.